Don't think harder. Look closer.

Summer has a different rhythm.

The urgency softens.

Meetings slow down.

For many leaders, it is one of the few moments in the year where there is enough space to step back and see the bigger picture.

Recently, the world said goodbye to David Hockney, one of the most influential artists of our time. Throughout his life, he returned to the same landscapes, trees and changing light.

Not because nothing changed.

Because everything changes.

His work reminds us of something many leaders forget: seeing is not the same as looking.

Most leaders spend their days solving problems, making decisions and responding to what demands attention. Over time, this trains us to focus on what is missing, what is broken and what needs fixing.

But ecosystems reveal themselves differently.

They show us where life wants to emerge.

You can often recognize it immediately.

A collaboration that develops naturally.

A conversation that keeps returning.

A team member whose energy grows when given more responsibility.

A project that gains momentum without being pushed.

These are signals.

The ecosystem is showing you where energy already exists.

One of the most important shifts in ecosystem leadership is moving from fixing to noticing.

Not: "What is wrong here?"

But: "What is alive here?"

Because what receives attention often receives energy, resources and support.

As leaders, we shape our ecosystems by what we choose to notice.

So as you move through the summer months, I invite you to reflect on one question:

What is already alive in your ecosystem that deserves more attention?

Sometimes the next step does not come from thinking harder.

Sometimes it begins by seeing more clearly.

Picture: Tree Tunnel (2005) David Hockney